


Clarity

by sksai



Category: Bloodlines Series - Richelle Mead
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Drabble, F/M, Implied Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-01
Updated: 2013-09-01
Packaged: 2017-12-25 07:03:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/950117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sksai/pseuds/sksai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Random Sydrian Prompt I Gave Myself: Sydney and Adrian are moving into their new apartment when Sydney stumbles across something unexpected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Clarity

Sydney's breath caught. "Adrian..." 

He turned, eyebrows raised, then laughed slightly. "Oh. Those." 

"When did you paint these?" she breathed, "They're..." She struggled to find the words. "Wow." She finally settled on, lamely. 

Adrian made a face. "They're something else, I suppose." He seemed embarrassed. "It was awhile ago." 

"What was the inspiration?" she asked timidly. There was such a stark wildness to the paintings that unsettled her. The vibrant colors ripped against the soft pastels like open, bleeding wounds. The rawness of it scraped against her insides. It was beautiful, but somehow almost painful. She realized, then, this was probably the most emotional reaction she'd ever had to modern artwork. But that was probably more of a credit to Adrian's talent than her ability to judge art. 

"I was having a bad night," Adrian said, coming up behind her and placing his hands on her hips as she continued to stare. "It was like I could just feel the Spirit scratching away my brain. That's when I usually start to drink." 

Sydney turned to him then, concern tugging at her heart. "When was this, exactly?" She set the painting down gingerly where she'd found it. "You know you're supposed to call me when that happens. It doesn't matter where I am or what I'm doing, I'll-"

"Chill, Sage," Adrian drawled, placing a soft kiss to the side of her head. "This was months ago. You weren't exactly at my disposal as much back then."

Sydney frowned. "You should have called me," she insisted, nudging his shoulder with her forehead.

"Anyway," Adrian pressed on. "I was so angry." He laughed slightly, shaking his head. "I remember that. I was pissed off and going crazy and I didn't want to fucking get drunk so I just grabbed some random supplies and started painting. It was certainly an experience."

"So that's why these are so...wild looking?" Sydney asked, a small smirk forming at the corner of her mouth. "Because you were in the throes of Spirit? That's..." she looked back toward the paintings, "Interesting."

"Well, I wasn't really trying to make anything good. I just wanted to calm myself down, focus on something else." Adrian just shrugged. "Some artists purposely ingest hallucinogenic drugs before painting, to see what sort of wild things they'll create." He rolled his eyes. "But I've got a leg up on the competition, I'm naturally crazy."

"Oh, stop." Sydney elbowed him. Today was a happy day and she wanted to keep him in good spirits. She forced herself to widen her smile. "Regardless of the circumstances they were created in, I think they're beautiful." Her smile turned wry. "And who is she supposed to be?" Sydney gestured to the painting that appeared to be a woman's face. Long, harsh strokes of red and black slashed across the canvas, though the expression was startlingly serene amidst the darkness that swirled violently around her. "Your muse?" 

Adrian laughed, wrapping his arms around Sydney's waist and squeezing. He turned to whisper in her ear, "You could say that." 

It took Sydney a moment to realize his meaning. She startled in his embrace, her head whipping back and forth from the painting to Adrian a few times. "That's...supposed to be...me?" 

"Well, duh." Adrian scoffed. "Who the hell else would it be?" 

"I..." Sydney stammered, a ridiculous blush creeping up her cheeks. "I just didn't realize..." She took a closer look at the first painting, which depicted two eyes. Upon even closer inspection she now saw that the irises, centered in the swirling vortex of colors, were definitely gold. Of course. She bit her lip, embarrassed. "I guess I see it now." 

"I guess you could say it's sort of a metaphor," Adrian murmured against her skin. "Your face, your eyes, in the middle of all that chaos. Like I said, while I was painting these all I was thinking about was calming myself down, making myself feel better. So, sometimes, when I get like that, I just picture your face in my mind. Calm and lovely. It helps me stay, you know...here. Grounded. Sane." 

A warm rush of emotion enveloped Sydney, and in her fervor, she twisted in Adrian's grip so she could kiss him full on the mouth. "You keep me sane too," she whispered against his lips. "I may not have the artistic ability to be able to express it, but-"

"Oh, I don't know about that," Adrian smirked, running a finger down her spine. "Some of the things you do in the bedroom could be considered works of art."

Sydney scoffed loudly. 

"I'm serious," Adrian said, his voice low and teasing. "You're like the Da Vinci of sex. Very...uh... _inventive_." 

"Is that so?" Sydney asked, running her hand down his chest. "What does that make you? My Mona Lisa?" Her hand sank lower, grazing his abdomen. She felt his breath hitch. Her hand continued its descent. She dropped her voice low. Her fingertips slid under the waistband of his jeans. "Vitruvian...Man?" 

Adrian's eyes fell closed, his head falling forward to touch hers. "Only you could make titles of artwork sound so sexy," he rasped. 

"Let's take a break from unpacking," Sydney said, breaking away from Adrian. She grabbed his hand and began leading him toward the bedroom. 

Adrian chuckled, letting her drag him. "Not that I'm doubting your genius," he said once they reached their destination, "but how exactly do you plan to make this work? We haven't even set up the bed yet." 

Sydney placed her hands firmly against his shoulders and shoved him up against the bare wall. She smirked at his bewilderment, leaning in to kiss him hard. "I'm feeling rather inventive." 


End file.
